Date of Visit: May 20, 2006 (Saturday)
Walked-in for 1 at 11:30, seated immediately
Website: http://www.fressenrestaurant.com/
Street parking available in addition to a couple of paid parking lots near the Queen & Bathurst intersection.
1 main course, 1 muffin, 1 juice (tax & tips included): $20
Food
Red Juice (Beet, Carrot, Apple)
- I thought I liked beets but apparently I don't in a glass. The beet-ness came through loud and clear even though the juice is sweetened by the carrot and apple. This is of course not the problem with the juice...just my personal preference. However, I must say that the deep red colour was very appetizing and made me feel so healthy.
Sweet Potato and Date Muffin
- there's a changing selection of baked goods made in-house and I feel lucky that they had this tasty muffin on the menu on the day of my visit. When I first heard the name of this muffin, I immediately thought that it would be a moist quick bread made with mashed sweet potato and studded with dates. Well, I was only half right. The muffin was certainly moist and studded with dates, but the best part was the cubes of tender sweet potato found throughout the muffin! Baked sweet potato is one of my all-time favourite snacks and the cubes in this muffin certainly remind me of that. The muffin was gigantic with a huge muffin top. If you're a fan of crunchy muffin top, you will not be disappointed.
Sweet Corn and Vegetable Fritters
- Do not be fooled by the simple description of this dish because it is anything but. First, the fritter was mildly flavoured with curry powder and came with a dollop of mango jam. The sweet and spicy flavour paired well together. The fritter was served with herbed potato wedges, guacamole, salsa, toasted egg bread, pressed sunflower seed "crackers", and a green salad topped with strawberries and chickpeas. The crackers were addictively delicious because of the nutty rich flavour. The potato wedges were flavourful and I liked the creaminess of the guacamole. This is a dish that can satisfy an empty stomach, be it herbivore or carnivore.
Service
Saturday brunch at Fressen is not super busy but the dining room did slowly filled up. I like the relaxing atmosphere and the attitude of the servers reflected the same. The pace was comfortable and service was efficient.
Overall Impression
Fressen is one of the few non-ethnic upscale vegetarian restaurants in Toronto. After this meal, it's not difficult to understand its appeal: good food is good food, even if it is vegetarian. Flavour is not compromise here. I like the fact that the kitchen does not try to mimic traditional meat-oriented dishes. This is a restaurant that I would be glad to come back with my friends (not just my vegetarian friends!) simply because their food is delicious.
